The Gates of Paradise Read online

  She gave a deep sigh before adding,

  “I am afraid, dearest Narina, it is going to be very difficult for you and I know you hate lying. But you will have to visit the empty bedroom two or three times a day, and tell everyone in the Palace that his eyes are improving and he will soon be back amongst them again.”

  “And they will have to believe that I am you?”

  “That will not be too difficult, Narina. We really do look very like each other and, if you drive into the town, you can always wear a large hat that will make it difficult for people to see your face clearly.”

  “What about the staff in the Palace?”

  “There is no reason for them to feel suspicious, as the few who will be in close contact with you are in on the secret.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The Lord Chamberlain you will find to be a tower of strength, also Rudolf’s personal servant, Paks, who will be the only one allowed to enter the sick room except for the doctor, an elderly man who is in on the secret and is officially the private physician to His Royal Highness.

  “The maid who will look after you is a very dear person. Her name is Maria, and she has loved Rudolf ever since he was small. Only they will know that Rudolf and I have left. We will join the Battleship, which is waiting for us in a secluded harbour and return here the same way. I feel sure we will manage it unnoticed.”

  “I do think it all very strange,” murmured Narina.

  Louise put out her hands to hold Narina’s.

  “There is no one else in the whole world who could do this for me, except you, my dearest Narina, and no one else would know how much it means to me.”

  “Of course I will do it for you, Louise. I am just so afraid I will let you down.”

  “I know you could never do that and I was thinking, as you were coming here, how well you always acted in the school plays. You were always given the leading part, because you were a far better actress than any of the rest of us!”

  Narina could not deny this, but she merely smiled,

  “I will do anything you ask of me, dearest Louise, but I am frightened in case I make a mess of it.”

  “You need not be worried about the language here as our language is a simple dialect of German, in which I know you are fluent. All you have to do is to be worried about your ailing husband and therefore you do not wish to attend parties or give any in the Palace.

  “In fact I am rather afraid, dearest Narina, that you may have to spend a lot of time on your own. But I know you enjoy reading and I promise that, when we return, you will have a riot of gaiety and meet all the most charming young men in the whole of Alexanderburg!”

  Narina laughed.

  “I am not worried about being alone or not meeting any men. As you know, there are very few I have found interesting at home. But I am afraid of making a mistake and that those who are not in on your secret may think that you are behaving very strangely.”

  “Just cling to the Lord Chamberlain, Narina. He has been wonderful ever since I arrived here. And, as he adores Rudolf and thinks he is the best Ruler the country has ever had, he is so desperately afraid that the Russians will find some excuse to take us over.”

  “I can understand that must be prevented at all costs and I think your plan is a brilliant one.”

  “It is the only way Rudolf can have the operation without those Russians finding out all about it. They are so unscrupulous that I am certain, if they knew, they would find a way of hurting him – and even killing him.”

  Her voice shook and Narina put her arms round her.

  “Don’t worry, dearest. It is such a clever idea and I am sure that if we pray hard enough, the operation will be successful and he will be back on the throne before I can say ‘Jack Robinson’.”

  Louise laughed.

  “It will not be too difficult. Just smile at everyone and tell them they are all wonderful and then they will not bother you about anything else.”

  “I can only hope you are right, Louise,” said Narina nervously. “Are you really leaving tonight?”

  Louise jumped to her feet.

  “I am now going to introduce you to my wonderful and charming husband. He has been as worried as I have been in case you refused to come. When we received your letter, saying that you would be joining us as quickly as the Battleship could bring you here, we both danced for joy.”

  She was talking as she walked across the room.

  Now she opened a different door and called out,

  “It’s alright, Rudolf, come in and meet Narina.”

  Prince Rudolf entered the room and Narina saw at once why Louise fell in love with him.

  He was tall, dark-haired and extremely handsome. In fact Narina couldn’t help thinking that he was very English looking.

  As if she read Narina’s thoughts, Louise explained,

  “Rudolf’s mother was English, and I have often told him that he could easily be taken for my brother.”

  Prince Rudolf smiled as he held out his hand,

  “I am extremely grateful to you, Narina,” he said in perfect English, “for coming to help us. As Louise has explained, you are the only person who can.”

  Narina, who had curtsied to him, replied,

  “Of course I will always do my best to help Louise, but I am afraid of failing her, Your Royal Highness.”

  “I am certain you will not. Having heard so much about you, I am sure you are as clever as, if not cleverer than, my wife. And she is the brightest woman I have ever known!”

  He smiled at Louise as he spoke and Narina could tell that he was very much in love with her.

  “Now we must go,” Louise announced in a brusque way. “I will put on my cape. Oh, and by the way, Narina, you must wear my clothes whilst you are here, as everyone in the Palace will recognise them and it will go a long way to making them think you are me.”

  “I shall look forward to it. I am sure that they are far smarter than anything I possess.”

  “I expect my wife has told you,” Prince Rudolf said, as Louise left the room, “that my valet, Paks, is not only in on our secret plan but you will find him a tower of strength in every way. He and I have been in some tight situations in the past and he has always made certain we came out of them unscathed.”

  “I hope he will look after me in the same way, but I cannot believe I will encounter any real danger.”

  He knew by the expression in her eyes that she was more than just a little scared.

  “You are not to worry, Narina. I assure you that if you trust in Count Franz, the Lord Chamberlain, and Paks, you will be quite safe, and I hope happy, until we return.”

  Louise came hurrying back into the room.

  “The Lord Chamberlain is waiting downstairs and we must get away now as quickly as possible.”

  “Of course,” agreed Prince Rudolf.

  Louise flung her arms round Narina.

  “Thank you, thank you, dearest Narina, for being so fantastic. I knew you would not fail me and I only wish I could stay longer so that we could talk about old times.”

  “We can do that when you come back – ”

  “Yes indeed, and at the moment the most important thing is that Rudolf and I need no longer be afraid of those horrible menacing Russians.”

  “You really must not talk like that about the people we are trying to pretend are our friends,” Prince Rudolf scolded her. “You must admit that I have been very astute so far in persuading them I really am quite fond of them.”

  “Rudolf is as good an actor as you are an actress, Narina, and we will prove it to you as soon as we return.”

  She kissed Narina again, hugging her as she did so.

  Then as she turned to Prince Rudolf and curtsied, he bent and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I am more grateful to you, Narina, than I can ever express in words. But I promise you one thing, Louise and I will find a beautiful present for you in Constantinople.”

  “All I really want is for y
ou both to come back safely and me to act my part well enough.”

  “I am sure that you will and I am quite prepared to take a bet on it,” replied Prince Rudolf.

  They were laughing as they went through the door.

  As they did so, Narina saw the Lord Chamberlain waiting for them just outside.

  Then, as the door closed, an elderly maid wearing a pretty lace-trimmed apron and a large cap to match on her grey hair entered the room through another door.

  Narina smiled at her.

  “I think you must be Maria.”

  “That’s right, Lady,” she replied in English. “Her Royal Highness has told me a lot about you and what a kind friend you are to her.”

  “That is what I hope I am, but I do need your help, Maria. I am so afraid of making mistakes.”

  “None of us can make any mistakes for His Royal Highness’s sake, and a finer and kinder Prince no country’s ever had.”

  She turned back through the door, saying,

  “Come and see, Lady, where you’ll be sleeping and I’ll show you His Royal Highness’s room.”

  They were two huge rooms and Narina could only think that they were breathtakingly beautiful.

  The Prince’s room, which for centuries every Ruler of Alexanderburg had occupied, was much further along the passage and its windows looked out over the gardens.

  The bed was the most impressive Narina had ever seen. It was draped in crimson velvet and everything else about it appeared to be of solid gold.

  The bed-head was beautifully carved with flowers and birds and directly above the front of the canopy there were three golden cupids holding up a star.

  Narina was told later that the star was the emblem of Alexanderburg and it appeared on everything connected with the Royal family.

  Opening out of the Prince’s bedroom was another room as tastefully decorated as any room Narina had ever seen. It was all in a soft blue and there was an abundance of flowers arranged everywhere.

  Narina knew at once that Louise must have ordered them for her because she knew how much she loved them.

  “It’s the prettiest room ever!” she exclaimed.

  Maria obviously took her remark as a compliment.

  “I thinks as how you’d say that, Lady. As you’ll understand, Her Royal Highness always sleeps next door and that’s where it’ll be wise for you to sleep even though you use this room to dress in.”

  Narina understood and then she asked,

  “Are you certain that no one in the Palace except the Lord Chamberlain, you and His Royal Highness’s valet will be aware that they have left for Constantinople?”

  “I do hears all the gossip, Lady, and they’re just so sorry that His Royal Highness has hurt his eyes. They’d never guess he was slipping off with Her Royal Highness.”

  “Then I can see we must be very careful, Maria. I think it would be wise if you hid my luggage which I see they have brought up here.”

  She had noticed her case as she entered the bedroom and grasping the situation, Maria quickly moved it to a large wardrobe at the far end of the room.

  Narina hurried to help her.

  “Now don’t you worry, Lady.”

  “But it is heavy,” protested Narina, “because I put in so much I thought I would need, including some books.”

  “There’ll be plenty of books here in the Palace and Her Royal Highness has left a few she thinks you’d like in the sitting room.”

  Narina thought it was just like Louise to remember her passion for books and to find some she would enjoy.

  As she had been told, she would doubtless have to spend long hours alone in the sitting room and if she was pretending to the world outside she was with her injured husband, she would certainly need plenty of books.

  “Now what you must do, Lady,” Maria piped up, “is to retire to bed early and have a really good night’s rest. Everything’ll seem far better in the morning.”

  Narina laughed as Maria was talking to her just like her old nanny, who always believed that ‘a good night’s sleep’ would solve any number of problems.

  Maria helped her undress and when she had shown her Prince Rudolf’s bedroom, Narina commented,

  “I would far rather sleep here in this smaller room with the flowers. If anyone is aware of it, although I see no reason why they should be, you can always tell them I was afraid I might keep my husband awake and thus his injuries would not heal so quickly.”

  Maria smiled benignly.

  “You do as you would wish, Lady, and this room’s as pretty as you.”

  “Thank you, Maria, but what I would want you to say is that I am as pretty as Her Royal Highness. Do you think anyone will notice the difference between us?”

  “I’ll make your hair just like Her Royal Highness,” offered Maria, “and you will see very few people as your husband is ill.”

  “I quite understand, but you must tell me, Maria, all you can about anyone who does come to see me, so that I don’t make any silly mistakes.”

  “I do that,” Maria promised, “and as the sun is very bright, we’ll pull them sunshades over the windows when people come to see you.”

  Narina thought that this was good thinking.

  She climbed into the pretty blue bed that boasted an exceedingly comfortable mattress.

  Maria put a glass of water by her bed and blew out all the candles except for two burning beside the bed.

  She made a quick bob and murmured in her own language,

  “Goodnight, Your Royal Highness. God grant you sleep well.”

  Before Narina could think of a suitable reply, she had left the room closing the door behind her.

  She blew out the candles by her bed and now the room was in darkness except for a faint shimmer of light that came from the moon riding high in the clear sky.

  The same moon would be shining down on the ship carrying Louise and Prince Rudolf, as they would steam from the Black Sea down the Bosporus to Constantinople.

  It would not take them too long and by the morning His Royal Highness would be in the hospital awaiting his operation.

  Narina could well understand how important it was to him and Louise, and equally important to keep what they were doing a secret from the enemy.

  Then, as she lay back against the plush pillows, she asked herself again how this could all be happening to her.

  Never for a moment had she imagined anything so fantastic when she was living quietly with her father in St. Albans.

  She had suddenly found herself in the middle of a Balkan intrigue against the might of the Russian Empire.

  And how was it going to be possible for her to keep up her disguise as the wife of the reigning Prince?

  ‘This cannot be true’, Narina almost cried out. ‘It must be a dream.’

  Then she told herself it was all a story to amuse and delight her Papa.

  Perhaps when she was older, she would write the whole saga down in a book and it would become a tale of high adventure for her children and her grandchildren.

  As she and Louise had always done things together, she was sure this was something Louise would do too.

  They could compete with each other as to who was the better authoress and which of them could produce the most dramatic and exciting account of this exploit.

  It all sounded so funny that Narina laughed aloud.

  She was still laughing silently to herself as finally she fell asleep.

  *

  When she woke up in the morning, it was because Maria was pulling back the curtains.

  “I hopes Your Royal Highness slept well – ”

  For a moment Narina thought she was addressing her by mistake and then she remembered what she had said the previous evening.

  “Very well, thank you so much, Maria, I think I was tired after so much excitement last night.”

  “Everyone downstairs in the Palace has been sayin’ to Paks they hopes that His Royal Highness had a good night.”

  Narina rec
alled that Paks was Prince Rudolf’s valet and thought that she would be wise to meet him as soon as possible.

  She now realised that Maria was waiting for her to get out of bed and she found her bath was ready for her in front of the fireplace.

  Narina had been so fast asleep she had not heard it being brought in. Incredibly she had slept through not only Maria carrying in the heavy bath but Paks too, who had helped her.

  There was hot and cold water in polished brass cans just like the ones in use in England.

  Her bath was scented with flowers she could not recognise, but she thought that she should be able to identify them before she left Alexanderburg.

  Then Maria helped her dress in a very pretty day gown that she was told Her Royal Highness had purchased on her last visit to Paris.

  Afterwards Narina sat down at the dressing table on which there was a mirror framed with carved golden cupids.

  Maria arranged her hair in a very different style.

  It was the way Louise wore hers. As Narina caught glimpses at the work in progress she admired herself, liking that it made her look a little older.

  By the time Maria fixed the final curl in place, the style was so much like Louise’s that when she looked in the mirror, she found it hard to recognise herself.

  Maria insisted that she apply a little powder on her nose and a touch of lip salve to her lips.

  “I have never used make-up before,” said Narina.

  “Your Royal Highness should move with the times. Everyone is so smart in Alexanderburg. They copy Viennese women and the Viennese copy the French.”

  Narina laughed.

  “So that’s what it amounts to.”

  “Lady look very pretty – and very Royal.”

  Narina giggled and looked again in the mirror.

  She had to admit she did look quite different from a Bishop’s daughter.

  Breakfast was served in her sitting room and for the first time she met Paks.

  He was a man of nearly forty and Narina felt that no one seeing the twinkle in his eyes and his rather strange and unusual face would connect him with such an adventure and perhaps drama.

  He bowed to her politely as she entered the room and he addressed her as Maria had done.

  When she had finished breakfast, he suggested,